How does it feel to be doing a physical performance again?
‘I am really excited to be able to perform our show finally, especially that it can be done physically with an audience. The group is also really excited, as this show has been already more than a year in the making. We started working on this last academic year, but due to the pandemic, we were not able to perform it last spring. So we are really happy that we finally get to perform it now.’
What will this performance be about?
‘The play that we are performing is called “Tot de Dood Ons Scheidt”, or “Till Death do Us Part”. It is performed in Dutch and is about a boy named Victor that screws up his wedding rehearsal with his bride-to-be and accidentally ends up marrying a corpse. Of course, this brings along a lot of drama. If you want to know how this ends, please visit our show on the 4th and 5th of December.’
What impact has the pandemic had on the association?
‘Due to corona, NEST was not able to perform all the shows last spring that were originally planned. Also many of the rehearsals took place online or outside, which are both far from ideal. Luckily, this academic year we were able to somewhat rehearse normally again, but with the current lockdown we have to move back online. This not only impacts how and what we rehearse, but also puts a strain on the mental health of members.’
How have you prepared for this show specifically?
‘For this show, we have been rehearsing for over a year now. Now with the new regulations, we again had to make some major changes. We were not able to do our final rehearsal before the show, and also had to cancel our Friday evening show. Although this is of course quite difficult to do last minute, we have awesome members in the group that are helping out a lot.’
What will the show look like now, and do you think the current measures will affect the attendance?
‘The show will mostly look like we intended it to be, with a full set, costumes, make-up and technique. Overall it is very much a complete show. With having to cancel one of the shows and with the stricter measures, we expect that we will have less visitors. On the other hand, having a full house is not per se the goal of any of our shows. It is for us to have fun, and to be able to show our friends and family what we've been able to accomplish.’
How important is it to still put something out?
‘For us it is very important to finally put this show on stage. As we have been working on this show for more than a year now, everyone is very eager to finally show all our hard work and enjoy the show days. It also gives a sense of accomplishment to finally be able to do this, even though corona has been working against us.’
